PAPANUI SHOPPING CENTRE

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31115, 19 July 1966, Page 1

PAPANUI SHOPPING CENTRE

Plans for a £1 million integrated regional shopping centre, only two blocks from the north end of Papanui road, have been announced by the Fletcher Trust and Investment Company, Ltd.

It will be built on an eight and a half acre site fronting the Main North road between Langdons and Sissons roads, and will be known as the Northlands shopping centre. Mr W. K. S. Christiansen, the company’s South Island manager, said yesterday that work would start in September on a departmental store and supermarket for Hay’s, Ltd., which would be the principal building of the shopping centre. A 50,000 square feet singlestorey building with a mezzanine, it would be the

largest suburban department store in New Zealand. It was planned to open in November next year. The shopping centre site adjoined Hay’s furniture factory. The second stage of the project would be up to 40,000 square feet of other shop buildings. There would be a variety store, a food supermarket and more than 25 specialty shops offering a full range of merchandise to ensure that the shopping centre was comprehensive and competitive. Mr Christiansen said it was planned to complete the second stage during the year after the completion of Hay’s store.

Free off-street parking would be provided at the shopping centre for more than 3500 cars a day, handy to all shops and services. Shoppers from most north and west suburbs would be able to drive into and out of the centre through access from Langdons road, without using the Main North road. There would be access from the Main North road as well as Sissons road. “All shoppers will be able to do their shopping at their leisure and in the safety and comfort of sheltered shopping malls planned to match latest New Zealand and overseas trends and without any traf-

fic and parking cares,” said Mr Christiansen. “This sort of facility encourages pleasant and easy shopping by the whole family.” Blackwell Motors, Ltd., would also be associated with the project It planned to establish a modem garage which would duplicate all the services now available at its main city premises. Its building would be in keeping with the over-all planning of the centre, and it would have frontages to Sissons road and the Main North road. “Considerable research has been put into the siting and design of the project,” said Mr Christiansen. “This position is the hub of the north-

west Christchurch existing and expanding residential areas and the logical place for a modern comprehensive shopping centre of this latest type."

Mr Christiansen said his company would own the entire site and all the buildings, and would manage and promote the shopping centre throughout its lifetime. All the buildings would be designed by the same architects, Messrs Warren and Mahoney, of Christchurch, who recently won the Christchurch town hall competition. The Fletcher Trust and Investment Company has already been responsible for the successful promotion of New Zealand's largest regional shopping and town centre at Pakuranga, Auckland, which has 150,000 square feet of retail shops and parking for 6000 cars a day. The trust has also developed a shopping centre at Southdown near Auckland and is building another at Nelson. Others are in the planning stage for Wellington and elsewhere. Land purchases for the Northlands site were negotiated by Sherris and Wilson, Ltd. Above: The proposed site outlined in white. The Main North road is in the foreground, with Langdons road on the left and Sissons road at right Papanui High School is in the background.